The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-21
THE BLAspHEMER's TRIAL.
vuolds, of Boonton, TO be Defended
by Col. Bob Ingersoll.


by Col. Bob Ingerson.
A Norristown, n. j., dispatch to the New
York Uol{d says The trial of Charles B.
Rsynolds for blasphemy at Boonton, which
Eas ,,ostpened from the last term, came up
the Morris County Court to-day. Rey-
Ioljc was present and pleaded not guilty to
,,otber Indictment found by the recent
and i1ry for a similar offense in Morris
fownship. 4 large number of persons was
[,asent to hear the eloquence of the defend
his counsel, Col Robert q. Ingersoll, but
Ia confined his remarks to saying that he
nd an engagement for tomorrow and next
fav and would like to have the case set
fown for Thursday on both counts, which
he court granted.
The general impression is that both Col.
ngersoll and his client are anxious to have
[hiS case come to trial, and that if it is de-
$ided in their favor the Morris county peo-
lie have not heard the last of Reynolds lee
hires A good deal of interest is centred in
Inns trial and Thursday will doubtless be
lively day in the court house.
Tn several of the churches prayers have
been offered touching this trial, and in one
&hurch in particular divine assistance was
mplored to enable the young men of the
Ihurch to restrain themselves from attending
he trial, on account OF the pernlcious lnfiu-
Wnp2 |
4 The case of Reynolds is remarkable, mas
much as it will be the first trial for bias
|bhemv which has been heard in the courts of
New Jersey for at least half a century.
4 REYNOLDS was formerly clergyman, in
Which capacity he attracted little attention.
when he became an infidel he was more
klccessful. Last autumn, while living in
Boonton, n. j., he scandalized the inhabi
kants by fiercely attacking the Bible, God
Ind the Christian religion. Then he issued
4 namphlet, in which he ridiculed Christ and
keclared that the Bible taught immortality.
IN attacked Christianity with all the bitter
hess and none of the wit of lngersoll. The
Jesuit was that the grand jury of Morris
bounty indicted him for blasphemy, finding
HAT he within the jurisdiction of the court
= nlawfully and wickedly did wilfully bias
|bheme the holy name of God by contumeli-
fbusly reproaching His being and His provi
Hence, contrary to the form of the statute
"a such cases made and provided, and against
HE peace of the State, the government and
'6ignity of the same"
81 The case was to have been tried Oct. %,
but went over to the present term of court.
In November Reynolds supplemented his
htteranceS and his pamphlet at Boonton by
a lecture before the Liberal Society of New
q rk. in which he reiterated what he had
Laid before about Christ, Christianity and
HE Bible. In his speech there he said that
Lie Goddess of Liberty ON Liberty Island
turned her back on New Jersey because he
lad been arrested in that State for express
big his convictions. In the presentment of
HE grand jury the following passages from
Reynolds' pamphlet were specified as be-
h. those on which the indictment was
hound:
"This Bible describes God as so loving that
he drowned the whole world in his mad
hurry, because it was SO much worse than he
KNOWING all thingsD ever supposed it could
be An all-wise, Interchangeable God, who
lot out of patience with a world which was
lust what his own stupid bluLdering had
made it, and knew no better way out of
the muddle than TO destroy it by drown
Ing!
I'm the Bible God says His people made
Him jealous, provoked Him to anger, and
how He will raise the mischief with them,
Tor He declares His anger burns like hell.
He will destroy them all were it not that |
ear the wrath of the enemy.
4 The Almighty God afraid of His enemiesl
Ian the human mind conceive of more hor-
lid blasphen1y! Can even New Jersey
Christian believe such stuff was ever in
$pired by God?
The Old Testament records for our in
struction in the morals most foul and bestial
saints, and the New Testament indorses
these old wretrhes as examples for all good
Christians to follow.
"Now, reaaer take time and calmly
think it over. A Jewish girl becomes the
mother of God Almighty-the mother of
your God, The child of this young Jewess
Twas God. Christ is God God cried and
screamed, squealed and kicked; God flung
about His little arms; God made aimleSs
dashes into space with His little fists; God
stared foolishly at His own little toes; God
smiled when He was comfortable and
howled when pricked by a nasty pin; God
was nursed at Mary's breast. \ God
lay in a cradle and was rocked to sleep; God
was quite sick when cutting His little teeth;
God caught the measles, humps, whooping
cough and scarlet fever; God learned to
walk and often tumbled down, bumped His
forehead and made His little nose bleed :;
God was spanked when He was naughty
ETC., etc.
When the case came up on Oct 2S for
Tal, it was postponed on account of the
illness of Col. Ingersoll, who acted then, as
BOW, as the accused mans attorney. Rey-
holds has since been under $500 bail.